1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved gravity feed merchandise display fixture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Although a wide variety of merchandise display racks are, of course, known in the prior art, none are known to be configured and/or operable in the manners of the merchandise display rack of this invention, or to provide the significant advantages as are provided by the latter.
More specifically, W. H. Speiser U.S. Pat. No. 838,473 issued Dec. 11, 1906 discloses a broom rack comprising a plurality of support members which include support slots, notches and screw eyes for the staggered and oppositely oriented support of a plurality of differently sized brooms from the same rack. This rack is restricted to the display of brooms; and does not, in any event, make particularly efficient merchandise display utilization of the display space required by the rack.
A. Marko U.S. Pat. No. 922,008 issued May 18, 1909 discloses a broom holder comprising spaced bracket arms and broom handle retainers for the support of a plurality of brooms. This broom holder is restricted to the display of brooms or shovels or the like, is not free-standing in that the same requires mounting from a vertical support such as a wall or post, and again does not make particularly efficient merchandise display utilization of the display space required by the holder.
T. C. Dell U.S. Pat. No. 1,208,923 issued Dec. 19, 1916 discloses a collapsible broom rack comprising spaced, upper and lower horizontal support members having spaced projections for the support of brooms therebetween. This rack is again restricted to the display of brooms or like long handled devices, does not make particularly efficient merchandise display utilization of the display space required by the rack and, due to the relatively sharp nature of some of the support projections which are in the nature of pins, can present a safety hazard to the consumer.
J. A. Merkle U.S. Pat. No. 1,841,753 issued Jan. 9, 1932 discloses a collapsible display rack for brooms and other long handled devices which comprises vertically spaced, apertured support strips extending from a support panel. This rack is also restricted to the display of brooms and other long handled devices, and makes particularly poor merchandise display utilization of the display space required for the rack.
C. H. Brown U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,292 issued July 1, 1947 discloses a portable mop or broom rack which is designed for the storage, rather than merchandising display, of brooms or wet mops or the like and is, as such, of particularly limited capacity and bears little structural or functional relationship to the merchandise display fixture of this invention.
R. E. Paige U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,026 issued Nov. 8, 1955 discloses a combined shipping carton and display rack for mops and similar long-handled goods, only; and which amounts to little more than a corrugated paper board box which may be cut and re-assembled upon receipt to form a somewhat primitive display rack of marginal stability and particularly limited practical merchandise display utility.
N. M. Richardson U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,188 issued Sept. 15, 1959 discloses a utility rack which, although capable of displaying a variety of brooms and brushes and mops and the like, is of particularly convoluted design and construction in requiring pluralities of support members with attendant notches, grooves, protuberances, openings, spring members, hooks, and eye members and the like, all contributing to render the same decidedly impractical for use in accordance with contemporary merchandise display techniques.
Pablo Navarro U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,860 issued Jan. 11, 1972 discloses a spring-actuated mounting bracket, per se, for the handles of mops and brooms and the like which is adapted to the home or institutional storage, rather than display, of those items as by the wall-mounted use of the bracket in a mop and/or broom storage closet.
A more relevant and contemporary prior art device is the cleaning aids display fixture as manufactured by Hartstone Construction Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and currently in relatively widespread use in the retailing of such merchandise. This prior art fixture comprises a generally vertically oriented front peg board from which relatively long exposed pegs extend horizontally and forwardly of the fixture for the support and display therefrom of what is generally termed "peg merchandise," i.e. blister or otherwise packaged brushes, sponges, mop-heads and the like; and one or more generally horizontally oriented panels disposed behind the front peg board panel and comprising spaced slots for the upstanding support and display therefrom of what is generally termed "stick merchandise," i.e. mops and brooms and like long handled articles. The disadvantages of this prior art fixture have now been determined in accordance with the teachings of this invention to include relatively limited capacity for both the stick and peg merchandise with attendant inconvenient need for frequent replenishment of the same to prevent the fixture from presenting an empty appearance which is not particularly conducive to sales and to, in any event, insure that all of the merchandise is continually on display and readily available for sale to the consumer; some measure of risk of injury to, or damage to the clothing of, the consumer and/or accompanying small children by the protruding pegs which have been exposed by the removal of all merchandise therefrom for sale; and relatively poor merchandise display utilization of the ever increasingly expensive display floor space required by the fixture. In addition, this fixture requires fastening means to join the respective components thereof thereby complicating the in situ assembly and disassembly thereof.
Significantly, and in addition to the above-described structural and functional deficiencies of the specified prior art devices, none of the same include provision for the gravity feed of the peg merchandise to the forefront of the display fixture for the automatic replenishment of the peg merchandise at that sales-conducive location attendant peg merchandise removal for sale from the display fixture.